Zene: The Johto Adventure
by SupermewX300
Summary: Zene isn't normal. He has special powers. The natural genetic mutations caused by his parents' attachment to a certain pokemon make him a near perfect trainer. And he knows it.
1. Chapter 1

Zene: Chapter 1

About Me

I'm a little different. Well, I say a little, but a little different means much more where I come from. I'm part Pokémon. That's right. Part Pokémon. You see, some people a born differently. I'm something called a _Pokéopath_.

A Pokéopath is a human born with Pokémon features. This is caused by a genetic mutation which occurs when both parents share a special bond with the same kind of Pokémon. Their psyche is so intertwined with their Pokémon that it causes the DNA of the person to alter a little. If 2 gametes share the same alteration when fertilisation happens then they mutate together and cause the new human to share the Pokémon's characteristics.

I, for example am part-Zanora. Zanora is a recently discovered Pokémon. It's Psychic-Dragon type and is only found around a single area that has been explored very little, so it's quite rare. The Pokéopath mutation happens far more commonly with Psychic Pokémon. Probably because the mental link with the trainer is far more exaggerated by the Pokémon's abilities.

My parents. They are probably the most important factor in my life. They were the ones who made me both who, and what, I am. They met each other while taking part in separate exploratory journeys, on the same mountain that I lived on for most of my life.

They both caught Zanoras, but had hardly any exchanges. As they were both the main trainers for their searches they were required to study any new things found on the expeditions, which meant they studied Zanora in parallel for a few years. In the times they spent working together in their studies they started to fall for each other, and after their years of research they got married. Then I was born. My parents realised what my slim physique and indigo hair meant after my first 3 hours of life. So they decided to take me back to the mountains, where those like me flew freely.

I was very gifted. There's no point in being modest, because it was true. What else can you expect from a 2 year old that can keep an adult conversation running without opening his mouth? What can you expect from a child that has faster reaction times than a dragon type Pokémon? What can you expect from a boy with such an affinity for Pokémon that he can almost control them with his mind, yet keep them their free will?

My inherited psychic abilities meant that I had unsurpassed intelligence, which grew at twice the rate any normal, even genius child's did. The dragon inside of me meant that I was incredibly athletic, with DNA tailored specifically for physical excellence, and a body that can withstand almost any harm. The fresh mountain air meant that I had the perfect conditions to nurture my abilities.

And nurture them I did. Even with the lack of others around me to compare myself to I could see that I was perfect. When my parents taught me it felt as if they were trying to slow me down, not realising my power to grasp any concept thrown at me. I learned far too fast for their expectations, and as a result they had nothing left to teach me when I reached my 14th year. 80+ years of combined experience in 14 years was good. Even I knew that.

In fact I knew it too well.

We moved to the closest city, my parents wanted me to experience the rest of the world. The change of scenery suited me, and I adapted perfectly into my new life. And it was only a single year later that I started the inevitable journey. The journey that we all take. It's not normally that a Pokéopath will become a trainer, because of the strange feeling they have about capturing their own in a ball. Holding another life that you can relate to in your hands. But I couldn't not. It could be too much of a waste.

My first Pokémon was Chickorita. I called him Darrel. Darrel gained in power far quicker than usual. In weeks he'd evolved into a Bayleef, having conquered the first Gym in Johto single handed. Wayne was a decent trainer. It's a shame he no longer runs the Violet Gym. His son Falkner does well with it though. I then travelled to Azalea, and succeeding in beating the leader Bugsy, again with only Darrel. Whitney in Goldenrod was similarly beaten, and Darrel evolved again half way through the match. But it was there I stopped. At least for a while.

I decided that I needed another partner. I may have acquired the Zephyr, Hive, and Plain badges successfully with only Darrel but a single Pokémon wasn't enough to beat the whole League. So I went home. Back to the mountains where I used to live. Of course I only believed that I could train with the right Pokémon. I had a standard. So I was going to catch a Zanora.

This was the big one. While there had been the odd Pokéopath that had become a trainer, there had never been one who caught the Pokémon that was part of them. This was what was going to set me apart from every other trainer that had lived. This was my greatest achievement. And it was almost upon me.


	2. Chapter 2

Zene: Chapter 2

The Climb

The mountain path was harsh. Gale force winds tried to blow you down one of the thousand foot deep crevices that littered the mountainside. It was near impossible to get any kind of foothold as I climbed. Basically, it was what I'd been living in not a year and a half ago. I knew exactly how to get up, so I got up with ease.

It took me 3 hours to reach the place I used to call home. It was a wooden cottage. God only knows how it survives the winds. Every minute or so there was a burst of wind in a random direction. They'd never caught me off guard before, so why did they now? One out of every ten times I would be thrown a metre or two by an unexpected breeze. But otherwise I got up fairly unhindered.

So there it was. The place I called home. 1 year's absence hardly made a difference to it. I walked inside and was greeted by everything we'd left behind. I smelt the wood's lingering essence and thought of life back here. Free and unrestricted, just as I lived now. I wanted another to share this wonderment with me.

"Darrel, take a look at this," I said, releasing Darrel from his ball. He turned his huge Meganium head to me in surprise.

_What is it? _He asked me mentally.

"This is my old house."

_Really? It's a bit small. _He said.

"Not really, you're pretty big."

To this he simply snorted.

"We've got to go. Do what we came to do."

_Right then, but do I have to go back into the ball?_

"You won't fit through the door otherwise."

_Yeah I do, look._ But before Darrel ripped the front of my old house off I got out the red ball and with a flash he returned. I walked out the door and started looking for possible matches. It had to be good enough to use for gym 4 and onwards, but not too powerful or I couldn't catch it. I expected a PGL (Projected General Level) 35-45 one would do. Of course Darrel himself had a PGL of 39 so I needed something within his range. I got out my age-old comparison to the new Pokédexes that trainers get now. I scanned the skies for a likely looking Zanora.

But it was no use. All of them were either obscenely powerful (at least level 75), or babies (tiny, and less than level 10). I wasn't giving up though. I had to get one. I circled my house, again getting thrown by some winds, to look on the other mountains. I scanned everything on all mountains in the range but no luck.

Just as I was giving up hope of finding the right Pokémon a Zanora flew surprisingly close to the house. I saw it too late. It passed at incredible speed. So incredible in fact that it's slipstream pulled me off. Right off the edge of the cliff. I couldn't grab onto anything. I was falling. Under complete control of the winds. I screamed. For the first time in my life I screamed. With both my voice and my mind. Until my throat was sore and my brain was melting. And I still fell. The air rushing up past me was so fast that it felt like it was cutting my skin.

I couldn't see the ground. It was too far away, and covered by the clouds that were below the massive mountains. I was about to die. I was actually going to die. Not very soon, but nonetheless I was going to.

I hit the ground.

But I didn't. I stopped falling, but I wasn't crushed by my own momentum. Of course I wasn't, it was too soon. What then. My eyes opened and saw a huge purple face looking back, not a foot from my own.

_Hello._ I was too amazed to even think. _If you'd kept on falling you'd probably have died. You didn't want to die, did you?_

"No, I-I'm...um... Thanks."

_You need to be more careful Zene. You never used to fall off._

"I know... h-how did you know who I am?"

_I've known you for my whole life Zene. I like this mountain. It's smaller than the others. That's why your parents built the house on it. _

"Oh," I said looking down to see a very long drop before the clouds. The only thing in-between me and them was the Zanora's psychic barrier. "Please can you lift me up or something? I feel a little uncomfortable when I can't see what I'm standing on."

_Alright then. Would you like to ride on my back? It's hard to fall off of and it would be much easier for me to carry you like that. _Before I can answer I can feel myself being lifted higher, as the Zanora turns around so that it's long, thin back is a little beneath me. It dropped me onto it's back and before I could grab onto anything it's whole body jerked foreword.


	3. Chapter 3

Zene: Chapter 3

The Test

It moved at insane speed but I remained firm. For some reason there was no need to hold on and I was glad, there wasn't anything to hold on to. Shortly we turned steeply up and we sped upward like a rocket. I could see past the mountains, we were much higher than the one I'd lived on previously. That mountain was a dwarf next to all the others. I opened my mouth to speak but the air rushing back past us closed it again. So I used my head.

_Where are we going?_ I asked telepathically.

_You came here for a reason did you not?_

_What?_ I replied confused

_You plan to capture a dragon as a new partner. Correct?_

_Yes. But what has that got to do with you?_

_I will be that dragon._ It said simply. _If you are good enough for me._

_You mean you want to test me?_

_I suppose, yes. Look __we have arrived._ The Zanora concluded. We were fast approaching - no, inside now - a large cave which looked like a huge hole in the side of its mountain. All around its interior were blue crystals giving off a soft light. All else was stone. The Zanora came to rest in the middle. The cave was a single round room with an entrance to the outside.

_How will you test me then?_ I asked, leaping off of the dragon.

_You must have skill enough to be worthy to train me. I will therefore test your previous training ability. Release your partner._ It said, making a motion toward my single Pokéball. I obeyed, not exactly overconfident. Last time I was overconfident I fell off a mountain. And I was still on a mountain. Darrel was slightly confused.

_Where's the house?_

"No time to explain Darrel, I need you to battle."

_Of course, you need me to battle. Never any time to explain, never any warning, just _Darrel, I need you to battle_._

"That's enough of that, you know I love you Darrel."

_You say that, but it's still always the same._

"Darrel. Look behind you." I said. Darrel hadn't seen the great purple beast floating behind him. But the moment he saw the massive face behind him he screeched.

_Oh frigg. _

_Please may we begin? _The Zanora asked us.

"Darrel, you think you can do it?" I asked him, getting out the 'dex. He confirmed reluctantly while I scanned the beasts before me. The Zanora had a 4 level advantage, being at GPL 43. I could hardly glean any more information however as Zanoras were sort of, rare. "We're all ready," I called to the dragon, wishing it was true.

The moment the words left my mouth I saw a streak of violet slam into Darrel, knocking him almost to the edge the arena. I was almost as dumbfounded as he was. My Pokédex read that Darrel's HP had been reduced by a quarter by the single attack. A quarter in a single attack. That had never happened before. I prided my Pokémon on his huge resilience, able to take any number of hits and hardly feeling a thing. This beast was being serious. Test, my bum.

"Darrel, Razor Leaf!" I shouted to him, hoping that he'd be able to get up in time. But, while Darrel left plenty of time the Zanora didn't make another move. Seconds later a swarm of green arrows struck it. It hardly noticed. My Pokédex said something like a tenth damage. Poo. The dragon was now releasing a completely black ring from its mouth. This time Darrel saw it coming. Darrel shifted his massive bulk to the side, avoiding the Dark Pulse with ease. Ready for an easy "Body Slam!" and slam he did. This one actually knocked back its target, and did a respectable fifth of damage.

_You are doing well Zene. You have very nearly passed._

"What? But I've hardly damaged you. Darrel can hardly survive two more hits." I didn't get my answer though as instead the dragon gathered a ball of light above its head. Darrel could have avoided the energy ball had it not blinded him and covered almost the whole cave.

I couldn't see half a foot in front of me for a few seconds, and when I could I made out Darrel's bulk lying on the floor. Unmoving. I ran over to him.

"Darrel! Darrel wake up!" I shouted. I fell upon him. I tried to push him to his feet. I was scared. I'd never seen power like that before. I tried to connect with his mind but I couldn't. Tears streamed down my eyes. Darrel was my best friend.

I stood up and turned to the Zanora.

"What have you done to him?"

_Well done Zene. You have passed your test._

"I don't care, what have you done to him!"

_Do not worry Zene; he is being restored as we speak. Lustre Purge is a difficult move to recover from. Your friend however is fine. Simply unconscious. He will wake in due course. A more pressing matter is my immanent capture. It is commonplace for Pokémon to travel in balls, yes?_

"How do you know he's alright?"

_There are crystals with the ability to heal those near all around this cave. I simply caused him to faint. No Pokémon has power beyond that. _

"What do you mean I passed?"

_The way you reacted to your Pokémon being hurt like that was all that remained for me to know. You are compassionate enough to train me. Choose the devise for my capture._


	4. Chapter 4

Zene 4

The Descent

I attended to Darrel while the Zanora waited. It was right; Darrel woke up shortly and turned out to be fine. I returned him to the red and white ball that he called home then turned back to the monster behind. There was another ball in my hand, this one blue on the top instead of red, and marked with a "G".

_Before you capture me,_ the beast said _you may address me by the name Arianna._ With the knowledge that Arianna was female I walked over to her and touched her with the orb. She was enveloped in a red light, which then was pulled into the interior of the ball.

The moment it did I fell to the floor clutching my chest. It felt like something had just disappeared from inside me. I was breathless, unmoving. It was a sensation that would be repeated over the course of my life many times, though never quite a severe. Next thing I saw was Darrel's huge green face hanging over me.

I got up and released Arianna. "We need to get down from the mountains, and I don't think I could go back down the same way I did before."

_I understand. _I climbed back onto her welcome back and returned a disappointed Darrel to his ball. He knew how much he would have loved to fly with us, but he was just too big. _Ready?_ Arianna asked, moving without my confirmation. My deep purple hair was blown back as we sped out of the cave and into the mountain range. From this high it would be possible to see the whole of Johto, as well as Kanto. Even past them, to the shores of who-knows-where. But the clouds got in the way.

Arianna had decided on the scenic route so we flew around the huge mountains that her kind inhabited. First we circled the one we'd just been inside, moving steadily upwards until we reached the summit. The view was amazing. From here you could make out dozens of mountains, many of which were even higher than this (all except for my own residence). Even the fabled Mount Silver presented itself before us. I could see the origin of its name. From the air it looked as if the grey stones it was made of were glinting and shining in the sun. That beast of a rock towered above even this range. There were no men to this day that had conquered it. It's said to contain the most powerful Pokémon in the land. That definitely wasn't the only reason nobody had scaled it though. The sheer, well, sheerness of it would very possibly be a contributing factor to it.

It was surrounded by other Pokémon, birds and dragons. I wanted to pull out my Pokédex to scan them all but there was a great danger of it being pulled from my grip by the air resisting our movements.

A Pokédex is an incredibly useful tool to a trainer. I'd even say that it was on a par with the Pokémon themselves. A Pokédex is the most technologically significant devise in existence, even now. There's hardly any difference between new Pokédexes and the one I was using at this point. Apart from the ability to show how long you've had the Pokémon and the Pokémon's stats the only real difference is the controls. The Pokédex I have here is a 7" by 6" model with a 4 by 4 screen. On the side are arrow buttons and various function buttons. The Pokédex is more than an encyclopaedia. It is the ultimate scanning tool. It has the ability to show all element of a battle, including each Pokémon's abilities, attacks and HP. It automatically accumulates information on whatever it scans, constantly updating its library. It has a built-in map system and navigator. It also collects data on its user. This includes how they battle, how much they use the 'dex and what kind of Pokémon they use most frequently. Finally it carries your personal trainer ID and can link to the official League database to find out about other trainers you face.

After this we turned downward. Air attacked my face with painful viciousness as we steadily accelerated. Mountains sped past us as we grew closer to the clouds below. We spent a few seconds in the ball of white fluff and rocketed out the other side soaking. Arianna started to decelerate, and we stopped in midair over New Bark. Some Pidgeys that were flying near us squawked in fear and flew back the other way as fast as possible. We descended and I dismounted, returning Arianna and turning to face the laboratory. This was the place that I'd met Darrel. I was about to return to Professor Elm.


	5. Chapter 5

Zene

The Lab

I took the door handle and pushed. The door was a bit stiff so I really had to have a go. But it gave, and I entered. I walked past the empty desk and up to a sliding door. It opened and once again I looked at the huge futuristic room. All of the walls were a sleek marble, as was the ceiling. It was packed to the brim with all sorts of polished silver machinery and almost a hundred computers. I strolled past the isles of whirring machines until I reached the back of the lab.

And there he was. Professor Elm. He was wearing the same thick, round glasses he always wore; and that same distracted look on his face that he always wore. He was busying himself with one of the other Pokémon I could have chosen to accompany me instead of Darrel: a Cyndaquil. It seemed happy enough, and flames occasionally shot from its back. The Professor was enjoying himself, as he did whenever "studying" Pokémon. I of course knew that he was playing with it. As did everyone else that knew him.

I cleared my throat. I did so again, this time louder. But he he didn't hear it. Well I say that, but from 2 metres away it's more a case of not wanting to hear anything. I gave up and just said "Professor?"

This drew his attention enough for him to stand, but he still didn't look up. "Yes, what is it?" he said absent mindedly.

"It's me Zene."

This made him look up. "Zene!" he said warmly, "Welcome back. How are you? What brings you back? Have you seen your parents since you went? How many badges have you got so far?" After a few seconds of silence he says "Too many questions."

I nod.

"Well, you know me." He says "Well, what are you here for? While you've got a busy journey to be on."

"I took, a little detour."

"And have you got any new Pokémon?"

"Take a look." I say as I take Darrel from my belt and release him.

"My, my..." He says examining Darrel "you've done well with him. He has grown hasn't he. After this Darrel licked Elm's face.

"Darrel." I say sternly. He bows his head. "Also Professor, I have another."

"Just one more?" He responds surprised "You've been going this long and you've only got 2 Pokémon?"

"Well, that's actually why I took my detour. You see, I caught a Zanora."

"A Zanora?" He almost shouts.

"Yes, I went back to the mountains and I caught her a couple of hours ago."

"What? Then bring her out Zene, show me her!"

I paused for a second, then I stated firmly "No."

"Why not?" He was almost shocked at this.

"Because you'd want to examine her, experiment on her, study her. And I don't think she'd like that."

"But Zene, you hold the only Pokémon discovered so far that nobody knows about. You could make me one of the first people in history to find out about this Pokémon."

"Yeah, one of the first. The very first were my parents, and they never submitted their research."

"Exactly Zene. This is just what I need!"

"There was a reason they didn't submit them. And I just worked out why. No, Zanora needs to remain a mystery. Goodbye Professor." And with that I returned Darrel, turned around and left.

"Remember to check with your parents Zene," He calls after me, "They'll be missing you."

" I will." I call back, shutting the door with a bit of effort.

Cherrygrove awaited.


	6. Chapter 6

Zene

The Homecoming

As I neared the edge of New Bark I turned and looked back at it. It was stunning to look at. I only wished that I'd looked back last time I left. I looked ahead, and the first path I'd ever walked alone stood ahead of me. I started on my way to Cherrygrove.

The path almost felt like a forest, with trees lining both sides, blocking off any other direction but forward. The ground was littered with odd patches of long grass, and all along the way were high ledges blocking the way. I thought it funny how such a convoluted and odd road could be traversed by every single trainer that started their adventure in New Bark before their first Gym. Nevertheless it was over not long before it started and I again gazed upon my hometown: Cherrygrove.

Just then I realised how much I missed my parents, and I ran into the centre of town to my parents' house. It was quite big compared to most other houses in the town, and all of them were bigger than the one at the mountain. I opened the gate and ran past the small garden full of flowers and pulled at the open door. I closed it again and took off my shoes. I opened the door to see my mum watching her favourite DVD, the Fire Blast concert. She hadn't seen or heard me so far. I cleared my throat but was drowned out by the music.

"Mum," I said over the TV. She almost jumped. Then she swung her head round, saw me, and got up and hugged me in a single movement.

"Zene you're back!"

"Hi mum." I replied to her, hoping that she'd let go.

She didn't. "I've been so worried about you Zene; you've been gone so long." She said, finally ending her embrace.

"Mum, you know that there's nothing dangerous in Johto, otherwise the league wouldn't have made it a league region."

"I know you Zene, and you wouldn't have stuck to the official routes. No, somewhere you have to take a detour."

"Well..."

"There we go!" she cut in exasperated, "What did you do?"

"Um, I went back home."

"Home? Home! You mean back on the mountain home?"

"Yeah."

"What could possibly compel you to go back there!"

I fingered Arianna's Pokéball at my belt "I'll show you outside."

She looked at me suspiciously, but followed me into the back garden. I pulled the Pokéball out and opened it. A red energy flashed before Arianna appeared in front of us.

_Hello Mrs. Eldraed. I am happy to meet you at last._

Her Tone changed to somewhat wary. "H-has Professor seen you..."

_Arianna_

"Has he seen you Arianna?"

_Not seen me no, Zene would not allow it. However he knows of me._

"Good, good."

"I had to mum, I needed another Pokémon, Darrel was getting lonely."

"You didn't have to have a Zanora Zene, any other Pokémon would have sufficed, but you chose a Zanora."

"I needed a good Pokémon mum, one that I could count on."

"What if there were effects? It's not every day that a Pokéopath catches a Pokémon, let alone one of their own kind."

"I'm the first." I added softly.

"Exactly! You don't know what could have happened. For all you know you could have died."

"Well, I did feel something. Nothing too bad, but it was something."

She sighed, and looked me up and down. "Let me guess, all of this was today was it?"

"Mostly, but the way up started yesterday."

"Yesterday? You mean you haven't slept for more than 24 hours?"

"I had to; if I hadn't then it would have taken forever."

"Right then, you're going to bed."

"Now?"

"Yes now."

I didn't bother trying to resist her, even though I wasn't anywhere near tired. I returned Arianna, went back inside, and entered my room. It was still how I remembered it. The walls and ceiling were navy blue, and pictures of dragons drawn by the whole family danced across it. I lifted the pillow of my bed to reveal my same pyjamas and removed my black shirt and trousers to put them on.

Even Altaria was still there, sitting on the bedside table since I was too old to sleep with it. I got into bed, turned the light off, and shut my eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

Zene

The Departure

I awoke, panicking. I knew it. I just knew it. I'd overslept. I must have been asleep for 13, maybe even 14 hours. I threw the covers off of me and gazed at the glowing clock until my eyes could see. Nine o'clock. Nine o'clock in the morning. I couldn't believe it. I had to reach Ecruteak in 3 days and I'd overslept two hours.

I jumped up and stripped down while running into the shower. A single second of freezing cold, another of searing heat, and I was out again, with a towel flashing across my body. Then I was dressed, and downstairs. Straight into the kitchen, I swallowed two bread slices whole and downed a glass of milk. I ran back into the hallway, stepping into my shoes, but stopped as I passed the living room. Mum and Arianna were sitting (if a long snake like dragon can sit) and laughing.

_And then,_ I caught from Arianna's indiscriminate telekinesis, _another Zanora rushed past and he was sucked off the mountain completel-_

I cut her off by returning her to her ball.

"Zene, we were talking-" But I cut her off too:

"I don't care what you were doing mum, I need to go now!"

"Why?"

I sighed "in 5 days I have my evaluation, and if by then I don't have at least 4 badges then I'm disqualified from the Johto league."

"What, you mean right now? I thought you had more time, I thought you had more badges."

"Yeah, remember that detour I told you about? You know, just yesterday? That."

"Oh, well I'm sorry. Remember to be back for your birthday."

"Will do mum!" I said running backwards out the door.

"Good luck!"

Her words almost didn't reach me as I turned to sprint up route 30. I grabbed Arianna from my belt and told her what to do before opening the ball in front of me and jumping on the newly materialised mass that was my Zanora. It would have taken me 2 days to reach the city, and that was on Arianna's back. Even then I'd need to let her rest before the fight. I was screwed. Nevertheless I was hopeful, and the rapidly passing trees which were too blurred to see were a good sign.

However 12 hours later that same blur wasn't quite so appealing. It was time for my shift. Not wanting to waste a second I stood on Arianna's back and leapt forward, returning her with a flash underneath me. Then my feet hit the ground and I ran. I wasn't nearly as fast as the dragon, but faster than any other human runner. After the trees finally started to thin after another 2 hours I sent out Darrel to complete the first cycle. Even more hours later and we were passing through Violet in the dead of night, Darrel's pace slowing, with me slumped across his back, eyes just open. He stopped outside the centre, and I half dismounted, half fell off of him. He returned to his ball, and I staggered through the sliding doors, hoping that there would still be someone at the desk.

There was. He was almost asleep, but he was there. I walked to the desk and said softly "Excuse me," he looked up making a small noise of affirmation "can I have a bed until the morning?"

He checked the screen in front of him and looked up again, replying drowsily "Sure, there's a room just down there," He pointed down a corridor to my left "number JV23." He handed me the key to 23 and rested his head the counter "Have a nice night" He finished stifling a yawn.

"Thanks," I said before walking (almost) to my room. I opened the door, closed it again, and fell on the bed. Bliss.

Not quite. After a good 3 hours my preset alarm awoke me. Ah, 7. The right time to wake up. I opened my pack, shared a quick bite with my Pokémon, and jogged back to the counter. I handed back my keys, gave a quick morning and bye, and I was running again, in the Violet streets, ready for my next day's travelling. Nothing like a 7 sharp wakeup to get you going.


	8. Chapter 8

Zene

The Arrival

Back on Arianna I sat. She had to rest before the fight so she'd have to start the journey again. The city sped by us, and some pedestrians were a little confused by the streak of purple and strong winds for the second we passed them. And then we were outside the city, winding through the tress and slowly but surely progressing up route 37. And then I took my turn and I could see the orange sun setting beside me, catching the twilight glow through the trees. And then I fell to my knees outside Ecruteak's boundaries and commanded Darrel to carry me to a centre.

One thing I didn't like about centres, they were always so central. Many a trainer has had a gruelling journey through rugged terrain and few supplies, and they have to wade into the middle of a city to rest. Why couldn't they put them at the front of a city so they were actually useable? Anyway, I managed to reach it before 4 a.m. this time and was back on my feet perfectly steady as I walked in. And hit into somebody.

"Oh, sorry," a box said in front of me. The box then moved to reveal a face. He held out his hand "Hi, my name's Bill."

I took his hand and tried to link his face to his name. I'd seen both before, but I couldn't remember where. "Don't worry about it." I said in reply as he shook my hand vigorously. Then I remembered. "Hey, didn't you make the PC storage system?"

"Yep, that's me." He said letting go of my hand "Inventor of the Pokémon storage system and technological extraordinaire." That's right; I'd seen him on a TV report in the short time I wasn't a trainer. "So you're a trainer I take it?" I nodded "How are you finding my Box system?"

"Well, actually I haven't used it yet."

He looked puzzled "Why not?"

"I haven't caught 6 Pokémon yet."

"Really? You're in Ecruteak and you still haven't got six?"

"I didn't need any more than the two I have now."

"Two! No, that doesn't happen, you can't have just two Pokémon! Give me your Dex." I handed over the box, just a little proudly. He set down the cardboard box filled with mechanical tools on a nearby table and from it he pulled a laptop. He linked it to the Pokédex and examined the screen for a couple of seconds. His eyes widened as he continued to gaze at the machine. He stood up and addressed me "So you have a Meganium and a Zanora?"

"Yup."

"On levels 39 and 45?"

"Yup."

"And so far you have only 3 badges?"

Nod.

"And if you don't show up to Elm's lab in 3 days with 4 badges then you're disqualified from the Johto league?"

"Yeah."

"I think I can help you Zene." He said smiling.

"How?"

"Come to my house in Goldenrod after you beat Morty tomorrow and I'll show you."

"How do you know I'll win?"

"I've known every Pokéopath in the last 10 years to become a trainer. You guys don't lose." And with that he left the centre, box in his arms. He was leaving for Goldenrod at midnight. Good luck to him. I myself got a room, and fell asleep.


End file.
